Description
Check the exclusive video showing this 12″ for sale
Check the exclusive video showing this 12″ for sale
Queen Radio Ga Ga
Label: EMI 12QUEEN 1
Format: Vinyl, 12″, Single, 45 RPM
Country: UK
Released: 23 Jan 1984
Genre: Rock
Tracklist
A Radio Ga Ga (Extended Version)
B1 Radio Ga Ga (Instrumental)
B2 I Go Crazy
“Radio Ga Ga” is a 1984 song performed and recorded by the British rock band Queen, written by their drummer Roger Taylor. It was released as a single with “I Go Crazy” by Brian May on the original B-side (3:42) and was included on the album The Works. The song also features on the bands compilation albums, Greatest Hits II, and Classic Queen.
The single was a worldwide success for the band, reaching number one in 19 countries, number two in the UK Singles Chart, and number 16 on the Billboard Hot 100 in the U.S. The band performed the song at every concert from 1984 to their last with lead vocalist Freddie Mercury in 1986, with their most notable performance at Live Aid in 1985.
Meaning:
Recorded in 1983 and released in January 1984, the song was a commentary on television overtaking radios popularity and how one would listen to radio for a favorite comedy, drama, or science fiction programme. It also pertained to the advent of the music video and MTV. Ironically, the video for “Radio Ga Ga” would become a regular staple on MTV in 1984, and was nominated for an MTV Video Music Award that year. Taylor originally conceived of it as “Radio caca” (from something his toddler son once said), which doubled as a criticism of radio for the decrease in variety of programming and the type of music being played.
The song makes reference to two important radio events of the 20th century; Orson Welles’ 1938 broadcast of H.G. Wells’ The War of the Worlds in the lyric “through wars of worlds/invaded by Mars”, and Winston Churchills 18 June 1940 “This was their finest hour” speech from the House of Commons, in the lyric “You’ve yet to have your finest hour”.
Development:
The inspiration for this song came when Roger Taylor heard his son utter the words “radio ca-ca” while listening to a bad song on the radio while they were in Los Angeles. After hearing the phrase, Taylor began writing the song when he locked himself in a room with a Roland Jupiter 8 and a drum machine. He thought it would fit his solo album, but when the band heard it, John Deacon wrote a bassline and Freddie Mercury reconstructed the track, thinking it could be a big hit. Taylor then took a skiing holiday and let Mercury polish the lyrics, harmony, and arrangements of the song. Recording sessions began at Record Plant Studios and included Canadian session keyboardist Fred Mandel, who later on would work with Supertramp and Elton John. Mandel programmed the Jupiters arpeggiated synth-bass parts. The recording features prominent use of the Roland VP330+ vocoder. The bassline was produced by a Roland Jupiter 8, using the built-in arpeggiator.
Video:
David Mallets music video for the song features scenes from Fritz Langs 1927 German expressionist science-fiction movie Metropolis and was filmed at Carlton TV Studios and Shepperton Studios, London, in November 1983. It features the band in a car flying over the title city, and later performing the song in front of the city’s working class. Freddie Mercury’s solo song “Love Kills” was used in Giorgio Moroders restored version of the film, and in exchange Queen were granted the rights to use footage from it in their “Radio Ga Ga” video. However, Queen had to buy performance rights to the film from the communist East German government, which was the copyright holder at the time. At the end of the music video, the words “Thanks To Metropolis” appears.
“All We Hear is Radio Ga Ga…”
ALL WE HEAR IS RADIO GA GA… Filming of the Radio Ga Ga promotional video by Gary Taylor.
24th November 1983: Shepperton Studios
After an invite from the Official Queen Fan Club, around 500 fans gathered at Shepperton Studios to help the band and director David Mallet, film their most expensive video yet.
I got an invite at very short notice but managed to arrange my transport via ferry and trains, from the Isle Of Wight, where I lived, to Surrey, where the video shoot was taking place.
When I arrived at the studio area, there were already a lot of fans gathered. It seemed a very long time before we were led from a large holding hall to a small back room, where we were given white paper trousers and tops with a tight hood. We had to put this on over our clothes and we were then spray painted with a silver colour paint to various parts of our costumes. We soon found out we were to become the faceless workers kneeling before the band. We also had to sign an agreement form, that the use of photography and recording equipment would not be used, or was it so we couldn’t claim royalties… don’t think I even read it properly, I was so excited.
When we were shown into the main studio where the video was being filmed, the band were already on stage, having make up adjusted and looking really good in their red and black costumes. Very futuristic. Luckily I was one of the first in and headed to the stage in front of John Deacon. A few of us were sniggering at this point, as nobody had ever seen John’s hair as wild and big as it was on that day.
When we were all in, the rows behind were all adjusted into neat rows and the few of us at the front were asked to kneel on the steps that led up to the stage. I managed to keep my position in front of John and as I recall knelt on the third step up. They played the new ‘Radio Ga Ga’ single through the sound speakers a number of times so we could familiarise ourselves with this new song. The director also got us to rehearse the hand clapping sequences for the chorus, as that was all we were being filmed for, and seemed to go on for ages until we all got it right. We also had to bow our heads while raising our arms, which was very uncomfortable after a while.
Looking around the studio, you could see some of the other props that were going to be used for more scenes in the video. I remember seeing the wall that cracks open in the video hanging from the roof, and thought how large and imposing it was.
During the breaks between takes, we could chat and look in awe at our heroes in front of us – it was just so surreal. I gathered up the courage and asked Freddie if I could have the polystyrene beaker he was sipping out of. He leant down to me offering the cup and said something like “It’s vodka and tonic, my dear”. As I took it from him, I drank the rest of the contents, as there was only a mouthful left in there.
At the end of the shoot, the band all hung around to chat to us and sign autographs. Thankfully I took a black biro pen in with me and managed to get all the band to sign the arm of my costume and Freddie’s beaker, that I was now guarding with my life. I spoke to Freddie as he was being ushered out of the building, and told him what a great day it had been and how good he looked. He was in a hurry but thanked me and added a flippant remark with something like, “Of course my dear, don’t I always.”
I took some photos too, with a new camera I had bought a few months before. As I wasn’t used to it, only a few turned out well, but was a great reminder of an unbelievable day. Unfortunately, like some other photos, they have been mislaid over the years, but that day will remain in my memory bank for a lifetime.
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